Colombo [Sri Lanka], January 22 : Joe Root and Ben Duckett's strong knocks weren't enough to secure England a win in the first ODI against Sri Lanka, as they suffered a 19-run defeat in Colombo on Thursday.
Root scored 61, while Duckett made 62, but Sri Lanka's disciplined bowling and fielding ultimately paid off. The Charith Asalanka-led side handed them a 19-run defeat at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo to go 1-0 up in the three-match ODI series.
Sri Lankan star batter Kusal Mendis anchored Sri Lanka's innings with a solid 117-ball 93, and Janith Liyanage's explosive batting at the other end helped them post a competitive 271/6.
In reply, England were dented early by the loss of Zak Crawley while Root and Duckett put up a strong foundation. But it was Sri Lanka's spin trio that turned the game, with Jeffrey Vandersay's breakthrough triggering a collapse.
England never raced ahead of the required rate at any stage of the innings, but the century second-wicket stand between Root and Duckett was potentially a platform they could have launched from.
The pair, however, found it difficult to shift gears against Sri Lanka's spinners, who made full use of the conditions and struck at regular intervals.
England lost five wickets between the 28th and the 40th over, and that required rate kept climbing.
Vandersay (2/39), Pramod Madushan (3/39), and Dunith Wellalage (2/41) exploited England's middle-order vulnerabilities.
Despite Jamie Overton's (34) late resistance, England fell short by 19 runs, crumbling to 252 all out in 49.2 overs.